To Address Growing Need For Legal, safety, Immigration Resources
New York, May 22, 2025– Five major U.S.-based press freedom organizations announced Thursday the launch of a network to provide legal and safety resources and training to journalists and newsrooms in the United States.
The Journalist Assistance Network comprises five founding members: the Committee to Protect Journalists, Freedom of the Press Foundation, International Women’s Media Foundation, PEN America and the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press.
Since the November 2024 U.S. election, requests for assistance from journalists and newsrooms in a wide range of areas have increased significantly to each of the five groups. The requests include everything from digital and physical security advice, to immigration guidance, to legal risk assessment and newsgathering support.
“Journalists and newsrooms from across the country are increasingly concerned about a raft of measures and actions that threaten press freedom in the United States,” said CPJ CEO Jodie Ginsberg. “We hope this network will make it easier for individuals and media organizations to locate advice and assistance.”
The Committee to Protect Journalists, Freedom of the Press Foundation, International Women’s Media Foundation, PEN America and the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press will:
- Coordinate holistic safety and legal training for U.S. journalists, journalist organizations and newsrooms.
- Promote safety and legal resources to help reporters understand what assistance is available.
- Refer requests for support to other and any member organizations within the Journalist Assistance Network who can meet the specific need.
“We hope that by making it clear that we are working together – and that through any one of these organizations you have access to the resources of the broader coalition – we can help reporters get the best information in the fastest way possible,” said IWMF Executive Director Elisa Munoz.
The five organizations have many years of experience working together and have been actively collaborating to provide safety and legal training and assistance across the United States, along with a number of other organizations and partners working in the field of press freedom and journalist protection. They have deep experience in physical safety, digital security, legal support, mental health, and online abuse defense.
“We want to make it easy for any journalist who needs help to find it, no matter the issue. We’re bringing our organizations together, each with specific expertise in the areas where we know the needs are most critical, to do just that,” said Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press President Bruce D. Brown.
“With the unprecedented number of journalists in dire need of more digital security and legal protection, this coalition could not come at a better time,” said Freedom of the Press Foundation Executive Director Trevor Timm. “It’s all hands on deck in this unprecedented moment, and by working together we will be able to help more journalists than ever before.”
“With both the media and civil society increasingly under attack in the U.S., it is particularly important that organizations like ours come together to ensure that journalists and newsrooms can find the support they need to continue doing their vital work,” said PEN America Interim Co-CEO Summer Lopez.
The network is expected to expand over time to include participating partners that offer services, resources and information in these fields and to better direct requests for support. Please contact emergencies@cpj.org if you are interested in more information about joining the network.
Notes for Editors
The Committee to Protect Journalists is an international non-profit organization headquartered in the United States. It provides free digital and physical safety training, individual advice and resources to journalists and newsrooms, as well as financial assistance for short-term emergency support to journalists following an incident related to their work. CPJ provided safety training and advice to more than 950 journalists in the United States in 2024 compared to 106 the previous year and just 20 in 2022. For media queries, please contact press@cpj.org.
The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press provides free legal support and legal resources, including training, direct legal representation, and reporting guides, to protect First Amendment freedoms and the news gathering rights of journalists both nationally and locally in the U.S. The Reporters Committee’s Legal Hotline is available 24/7 to working journalists and offers a privileged, secure way to obtain legal help from its attorneys. For media queries, please contact media@rcfp.org.
Freedom of the Press Foundation (FPF) protects and defends press freedom in the United States. Its digital security training team has taught thousands of journalists how to better protect themselves online. FPF also builds secure communications tools used by many of the nation’s top investigative news organizations, systematically tracks press freedom violations in the United States, and advocates for stronger laws protecting reporters’ rights at the local, state and national level. For media queries, please contact trevor@freedom.press.
The International Women’s Media Foundation (IWMF) strengthens equal opportunity and press freedom worldwide. In the United States, IWMF offers customizable Hostile Environment and Emergency First Aid Trainings (HEFATs), in-person newsroom trainings, and one-on-one safety consultations. Topics can include risk assessment, contingency plans, personal security, psychosocial and mental health awareness, and preparedness discussions surrounding active shooters and protests. In 2024, the IWMF trained and surveyed 610 journalists across 200 media outlets in 13 U.S. states. For media queries, please contact cfox@iwmf.org.
PEN America stands at the intersection of literature and human rights to protect free expression in the United States and worldwide. Its digital safety programming focuses on helping journalists, writers, and their advocates navigate online harassment and other safety challenges; collaborating with media organizations, publishers, and other institutions to strengthen safety infrastructure; conducting research and advocacy on digital safety and free expression; and working in coalition with partner organizations to fight back. PEN America also co-led, alongside the Aegis Safety Alliance and Journalist Assistance Network members, a recent pilot project to coordinate proactive and reactive safety support for U.S.-based journalists and news outlets at risk following the US election. For media queries, please contact strimel@pen.org.